Six regional networks of community health centers are slated to receive a total of $3 million in federal funding toward the adoption of or improvement to their electronic health-record systems.
The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration recently announced it was awarding grants to health center networks in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New York and Pennsylvania to update health information technology for the more than 100 community health centers they represent.
Among the grant recipients, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, a Boston-based organization that represents 50 community health centers statewide, will receive the largest grant, at $700,000.
“Today's investments help advance critical health information technology adoption in more than 100 health centers throughout the U.S., and provide patients access to higher quality healthcare,” said HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield.
Funding for the health center networks came from money allotted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to HRSA. That's in addition to $18 million that was awarded to 37 health center networks last December, according to HRSA. The community health centers are expected to be key in providing access to primary care for the millions of uninsured Americans who will be receiving coverage in January under the ACA.
The grant program is another example of the Obama administration's efforts to promote the use of health information technology among the nation's health providers.
In May, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported 50 percent of all doctors and other eligible providers and 80 percent of eligible hospitals had received Medicaid or Medicare incentive payments to adopt the meaningful use of electronic health records.
Follow Steven Ross Johnson on Twitter: @MHSjohnson
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